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Mary Poppins’ Carpetbag Reveals More Than She Does
In the original 1934 novel, Mary Poppins’ seemingly empty carpetbag produces ordinary belongings, peculiar medicine and an entire bed. Her possessions reveal far more than she is willing to explain.
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Gargoyles vs Grotesques: Only One of Them Was Doing the Plumbing
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The surprisingly complicated business of carrying an umbrella
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Clothing Patterns Explained: What’s Woven and What’s Printed?
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What a Hallmark Actually Tells You About Second-Hand Jewellery
A tiny stamp can look wonderfully official without proving very…
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Why Bonfire Smoke Sticks to Clothes — and How to Get It Out
Bonfire smoke can linger in clothes long after the fire…
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How to Judge Second-Hand Leather Gloves by the Parts Nobody Names
Most second-hand glove advice stops at checking the leather and…
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I Want a Black Jacket. The Rest of My Wardrobe Has Opinions.
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I want another black jacket, but not another generic staple. Three awkward garments already in my wardrobe tell me what the replacement needs to do.
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How to Measure Clothes for Buying and Selling Online
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A practical guide to measuring clothes laid flat for online buying and selling, from pit-to-pit and sleeve length to rise, inseam, waist and overall length.
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Build the Mood: Halloween Dressing from Real Clothes
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A vampire, witch, mourning silhouette or gothic butler becomes much easier to dress once you stop searching for the whole character. Here’s how to find the tailoring, shirts, dresses, textures, accessories, shoes and makeup carrying the mood.
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I Remembered the Ice Dragon, but Not the Book
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I went looking for a bedtime audiobook and accidentally rebuilt my childhood fantasy shelf from fragments. Some memories were remarkably accurate. Others had quietly rewritten the books.
